500 Coffees #90: Adrian Crook

Meet Adrian Crook. You might know him as the guy behind 5 Kids 1 Condo, an online blog/platform he’s used to bring us into his life as a parent raising 5 children in a downtown condo. Today he announced he’s hoping to run for city council in the upcoming election, and I’m excited to introduce you to him and what he’s about.

For the past few years Adrian has written about raising his kids sustainably in an urban environment, and it’s been an inspiration for many. He’s gone beyond his blog and co-founded a couple of non-profit organizations aimed at more/better housing solutions in Vancouver and better transit – aptly called Abundant Housing Vancouver and Abundant Transit BC.

5 kids, 1 condo, 1 NPA council candidate Adrian Crook

We met at the Flying Pig in Olympic Village for lunch and a coffee chat today.

This isn’t the first time I’ve had coffee with Adrian; I consider him a friend and an ally who is also looking out for the best interests of our city, as I am. And while I’m not going to openly endorse him (or anyone) as a candidate I would consider giving him a look on the upcoming ballot if I was you. What he could bring to the NPA is not only a fresh face but a fresh direction, and a truly refreshing non-partisan approach. What he’ll bring to the City is hopefully a reset on housing.

Today we talked about his potential run for council which was mostly a surprise but not a total shocker. Working in the public eye on policy-related issues he seemed like the type of person who might eventually throw his hat in the ring for public office. And the op-ed he wrote last week, which we published, gave me an indication of where he might be going over the next few months.

He’s decided to try and run with the NPA in October. I asked why, as a progressive, he would choose the party that hasn’t been known as one that progressives have aligned with. The answer I got was that he saw what Hector Bremner was talking about in the by-election, and that it perfectly lined up with his goal to basically rezone most of the city and fix the housing crisis. He talked about opening up the “missing middle” in housing in this city, by bringing in things like the mixed use 4 story apartment buildings with corner stores attached – like the ones we used to build in the West End, Strathcona and Mt Pleasant.

I asked if he appreciated the irony of having the last name “Crook” and going into politics. We both laughed as he told me about his father, Detective Crook(!), who worked for years with the VPD on high profile cases like the Dosanjh murders in the 90s. As the child of a detective he’s spent a lifetime getting grilled, and he’s ready for public life.

HERE is the letter he wrote about why he’s hoping to run. And you can learn more about him and his run at voteadriancrook.com.

And stay tuned for 410 more Coffees! Check out the caffeinated archive HERE.

Coffee #87 is sponsored by Shapr, the networking app. Download it HERE!

No matter what your goal is for the year, be it a new job or a corner office, meeting new people is the smartest way to get there. Networking will help you get your foot in the door at interesting companies (hello new job), gain perspective on how to grow in your current role (hello new promotion) and build some new friendships with people in your field (hello awesome happy hours). The easiest way to make the right connections is with Shapr.

Bob is our founder and Editor-in-Chief. A family man and outdoors enthusiast in his 3rd decade of publishing, he steers the V.I.A. ship, hosts our 'BC Was Awesome' history TV show and co-hosts our weekly podcast. bobk@vancouverisawesome.com